Tropical storm expected to hit Gulf coast Monday night
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and it appears the first storm/depression/hurricane is out in the Gulf of Mexico, trying to figure out where it wants to go. Say hello to Tropical Storm Bill. When I was at the gym this morning, I saw a report that said that five computer models show the storm moving into SW Lousiana, and one model shows the storm moving directly into Houston. I'm liking those odds, especially since Allstate cancelled our windstorm insurance (for reasons I have yet to understand), and we have not had an opportunity to get the matter resolved.
This storm sounds as if it will be little more than a rain producer, but that isn't much comfort. Ever since TS Allison dropped 36 inches on part of the Houston area in June, 2001, the trepidation level is a fair bit higher than it was prior to Allison. No one wants to see a repeat of that nightmare.
Allison, which organized for less than a day from a disturbance off the upper Texas coast, came ashore near Houston on June 5 as a minimal tropical storm. Its remnants drifted into deep East Texas, only to backtrack and swamp Houston the night of June 8. By week's end, it had dumped more than 36 inches of water on some spots, caused $5 billion in damage and killed 22 people.
It was the costliest tropical storm in U.S. history and crippled Houston's downtown, the Texas Medical Center, and large residential areas across central and northeastern Harris County.
The remains then plodded eastward, causing torrential rains and damage around the U.S. coastline from Texas, across northern Florida and up to the Philadelphia area before finally turning into the Atlantic. In the end, the storm's death toll was 41.
I have nothing against those of y'all who may have to live in SW Louisiana, but you can have this one. I saw enough of Allison to last me a lifetime.
